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U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder appeared at the National Urban League Conference to speak about the attack on citizen's civil rights and voting rights around the country. NBC10's Doug Shimelll reports. (Published Thursday, Jul 25, 2013)

Updated at 4:50 PM EDT on Thursday, Jul 25, 2013

Attorney General Eric Holder announced on Thursday that the Justice Department will ask a federal court in Texas to require that the state ask for pre-approval before making changes to its voting laws.

Speaking to an audience at the National Urban League conference in Philadelphia, Holder also emphasized that he has shifted Justice Department resources to enforce sections of the Voting Rights Act that were untouched by the Supreme Court's ruling last month, which struck down a key provision of the law.

"Even as Congress considers updates to the Voting Rights Act in light of the court's ruling, we plan, in the meantime, to fully utilize the law's remaining sections to ensure that the voting rights of all Americans are protected," Holder said.

The justices struck down Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act last month, a key part that had required states with histories of voting discrimination to get federal approval before changing how they hold elections. The states are mainly in the South.

U.S. Attorney General Speaks at National Urban League Conference

U.S. Attorney Eric Holder spoke about how American citizen's voting rights and civil rights are under attack during his speech at the National Urban League Conference. NBC10's Doug Shimell reports. (Published Thursday, Jul 25, 2013)

The "pre-clearance regime" that Holder is requesting from Texas will be similar to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, he said.

This marks the Justice Departments first act in fighting the justices' decision, though he said it "will not be our last."